Learn Hardcore Greek: Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής, αλλά στα βιβλία προτιμώ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα. - I like all kinds of music, but in books I prefer modern novels.

So the subject of the verb αρέσουν is όλα τα είδη μουσικής (neuter plural).
The whole clause literally means: “All the kinds of music are pleasing to me.”

In English we flip this to: “I like all kinds of music.”
But in Greek, I is not the subject; it’s an indirect object (μου).

Why is it μου αρέσουν and not μου αρέσει here?

The verb αρέσω agrees with the thing that is liked, not with the person who likes it.

μου αρέσει is used with a singular subject:
- Μου αρέσει η μουσική. = I like music.
μου αρέσουν is used with a plural subject:
- Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής. = I like all kinds of music.

Here the subject is όλα τα είδη (all the kinds) → plural → αρέσουν.

What exactly is μου doing in μου αρέσουν?

μου is a weak (clitic) pronoun in the genitive case, meaning “to me / my” depending on context.
In this structure with αρέσω, it functions like an indirect object:

αρέσω σε κάποιον = to be pleasing to someone
In the weak form, σε μένα (to me) becomes μου.

So:

Αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής σε μένα.
→ Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής.

Same pattern:

Σου αρέσει; = Do you like it? (Is it pleasing to you?)
Του / της αρέσουν τα βιβλία. = He / she likes books.

Why is it είδη and not something like *είδοι? What is the gender and plural of είδος?

είδος (kind, type) is a neuter noun in Greek.

Singular: το είδος
Plural: τα είδη

So in the sentence:

όλα τα είδη μουσικής = all the kinds of music

The forms agree:

όλα (neuter plural, “all”)
τα (neuter plural article)
είδη (neuter plural noun)

Why is μουσικής in the genitive? Why not just μουσική?

μουσικής is the genitive singular of η μουσική (music).

In Greek, the genitive is often used to show a relationship similar to “of” in English, especially in phrases like “kinds of X”.

είδη μουσικής literally = kinds of music

So:

τα είδη μουσικής = the kinds of music
όλα τα είδη μουσικής = all the kinds of music

You could think of it as:

είδη (της) μουσικής = kinds of (the) music
but in practice, Greek usually drops the article της here and just says είδη μουσικής.

Could you also say μου αρέσει όλη η μουσική? How is that different from μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής?

Yes, Μου αρέσει όλη η μουσική is grammatical and means:

I like all music.

Difference in nuance:

Μου αρέσει όλη η μουσική
– more general: you like music as a whole.
Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής
– emphasizes different genres / types and says you like all of them.

So the original Greek sentence highlights variety of genres more explicitly.

What is the difference between μου αρέσει and αγαπάω when talking about liking things?

Both can be translated as “I like”, but:

μου αρέσει (from αρέσω)
- Literally: “it is pleasing to me”
- Neutral, everyday way to say you like a thing, food, activity, etc.
- Μου αρέσουν τα βιβλία. = I like books.
αγαπάω / αγαπώ
- Literally: “I love”
- Stronger emotion; often for people, animals, or things you are very attached to.
- Αγαπάω τη μουσική. = I love music. (stronger than just liking it)

So in this sentence, μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής is a natural, moderate way to say you like all kinds of music, without necessarily sounding extreme or dramatic.

Why is it στα βιβλία and not just σε βιβλία or something with a different preposition?

στα is the contraction of σε + τα:

σε τα βιβλία → στα βιβλία

σε is a very general preposition in Greek, used for:

in, at, on, to, regarding, with respect to…

Here, στα βιβλία has the sense of “as for books / when it comes to books / in the area of books”.

Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής, αλλά στα βιβλία…
= I like all kinds of music, but when it comes to books…

Using the article (τα βιβλία rather than just βιβλία) is the normal way to talk about a category in general, similar to “books in general”.

What exactly does στα βιβλία προτιμώ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα mean word by word?

Breakdown:

στα βιβλία = in / as for books (literally “in the books”)
προτιμώ = I prefer
τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα = contemporary novels

Word-by-word:

Στα βιβλία προτιμώ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα.
= In books I prefer the contemporary novels.

Natural English:

But when it comes to books, I prefer contemporary novels.

Why is προτιμώ used here, and not a structure with μου αρέσει again?

προτιμώ means “I prefer”, implying a comparison: you like something more than something else.

μου αρέσουν… = I like…
προτιμώ… = I prefer… / I like … more.

In the sentence:

Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής, αλλά στα βιβλία προτιμώ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα.

You’re saying:

For music: you like all kinds.
For books: you prefer (among possible options) contemporary novels.

You could also say:

Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής, αλλά στα βιβλία μου αρέσουν πιο πολύ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα.
(= I like contemporary novels more),
but προτιμώ is shorter and more direct.

Why is it τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα and not οι σύγχρονες μυθιστορίες or something similar?

Two points here: the noun, and the agreement.

The noun:
- το μυθιστόρημα = novel (longer, more typical word for a literary novel)
- η ιστορία / η διήγηση / η αφήγηση = story, narration
- A form like η μυθιστορία exists but is much less common; the normal word in modern Greek for “novel” is το μυθιστόρημα.
Agreement:
- το μυθιστόρημα → τα μυθιστορήματα (neuter plural)
- The article and adjective must agree in gender, number, case:
  - τα (neuter plural article)
  - σύγχρονα (neuter plural adjective)
  - μυθιστορήματα (neuter plural noun)

So τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα is the normal, grammatically correct phrase for contemporary novels.

What is the difference between σύγχρονα and μοντέρνα in this context?

Both can translate as modern, but they have slightly different typical uses:

σύγχρονος, -η, -ο
- Literally: contemporary, of the same time
- In literature, σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα usually means contemporary novels (written in recent times, modern-era literature).
μοντέρνος, -η, -ο
- More like fashionable / trendy / modern-style
- μοντέρνα ρούχα = modern / trendy clothes
- μοντέρνα μουσική = modern-style music

You can say μοντέρνα μυθιστορήματα, but it often suggests novels that are stylistically modern/trendy, not just recent in date.
For “contemporary novels” as a literary category, σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα is more standard.

Why is there a comma before αλλά in this sentence?

In Greek, as in English, αλλά (but) usually connects two clauses that contrast.

Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής, αλλά στα βιβλία προτιμώ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα.

You have two main parts:

Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής
(αλλά) στα βιβλία προτιμώ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα

The comma before αλλά separates these two clauses and marks the contrast, just like in English:

I like all kinds of music, but when it comes to books I prefer contemporary novels.

Can I change the word order to Στα βιβλία προτιμώ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα, αλλά μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, that word order is grammatical, and the basic meaning stays the same, but the focus changes slightly.

Original:

Μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής, αλλά στα βιβλία προτιμώ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα.

Focuses first on music, then contrasts with books.

Your version:

Στα βιβλία προτιμώ τα σύγχρονα μυθιστορήματα, αλλά μου αρέσουν όλα τα είδη μουσικής.

Now you start with books and then contrast with music. It sounds like:

As for books, I prefer contemporary novels, but as for music, I like all kinds.

So it’s mostly a matter of emphasis and flow in the conversation, not of grammar.